In an attempt to accelerate negotiations for an international climate treaty the United States and China announced their respective mitigation measures. While the American climate negotiators will propose a tentative target of reducing carbon emissions by 17% by 2020 from 2005 levels, China will propose a reduction of 40-45% reduction in carbon intensity by 2020. Although these measures have been welcomed by climate experts around the world it is important to explore how, if any, significant impact they will have on the global effort to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate adverse

impacts of global warming. Being two of the biggest polluters, China and the United States, shared the burden and responsibility to make extra efforts to push for an international treaty. While both waited for the other to make a move they eventually, and with mutual agreement, announced mitigation measures which are quite ‘unprecedented’ as none has ever agreed to any kind of carbon reduction targets in the past. Read more of this story »

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US, China Emission Targets More Like ‘Business as Usual’